Help lines stretched as bushfire trauma takes its toll

Peter Munro

MENTAL health services are launching recruitment drives and asking volunteers to work extra shifts as they struggle with surging demand from the terrors of the Black Saturday bushfires and the worsening global financial crisis.

The number of callers to Lifeline seeking disaster help surged more than fivefold to 75 in the week after the February fires, prompting a plea to the help line's 3500 volunteers to double their workload. Chief executive Dawn O'Neil said callers included those who had lost homes or loved ones, as well as victims of earlier blazes such as Ash Wednesday suffering recurring trauma.

"Parents whose kids have lost friends are wanting to know how to support their children. Or employers whose staff have lost family members or homes are asking how to support staff," she said.

Callers to Parentline are worried their children have become withdrawn, or have asked how to tell children a relative has died in the fires. "One parent who has a young child wanted to know how do you tell a three-year-old that his grandparents are dead," said team leader Bob Tammik.

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Kids Helpline recorded a 60 per cent surge in calls from regional Victoria in the days surrounding Black Saturday. Strategy and research manager John Dalgleish said demand would rise further as children who had lost loved ones, pets or possessions tried to process their grief. The 24-hour service has given priority to calls from non-metropolitan Victoria to help those most in need.

The president of the Australian Psychological Society, Professor Bob Montgomery, said about 20 per cent of those affected by the fires will start to show ongoing signs of distress such as flashbacks, nightmares, substance abuse, irritability and anger in about four weeks' time.

"Our advice is to keep an eye on yourself and your family and workmates, and if in four weeks you see yourself or someone still showing signs of extreme distress, that's the best time to get help," he said. The increase in demand would test already stretched services in regional areas.

beyondblue has already expanded its information line to meet an expected increase in demand over the next two months to two years from people seeking help over both natural disasters and the global financial crisis.

Mensline Australia also plans to expand its callback service to those affected by bushfires or flood.